Caltrans Closing I-80 In Loomis For Raise 80 Project

Caltrans crews working on the Magra Overcrossing Lift project in Placer County.

Courtesy of Caltrans

If you plan on driving on Interstate 80 through the south Placer County town of Loomis over the next couple of nights you may have to take a detour.

"Interstate 80 will be closed from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. both tonight and tomorrow night."

That's Liza Whitmore with Caltrans. The agency is shutting down the freeway in both directions so that work crews can raise the King Road Overcrossing.

"The contractors are going to actually lift that overpass about a foot and a half up in the air," says Whitmore.

"They basically cut the bridge off on either end and then put in the hydraulic lifts. And those hydraulic lifts can lift anywhere between four to eight inches, usually between four to six inches at a time."

The work is part of a $36 million project called Raise 80. Caltrans is lifting nine overcrossings to meet federal clearance standards. Right now, the bridges that are too low.

"A lot of those nine bridges were built way back in the 1950s," explains Whitmore "and are definitely not close to 16 feet, six inches. So we have to raise those bridges to make sure that we meet the federal clearance standards."

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